I don’t usually listen to people’s conversations while I’m on the subway.
Two men stood by the door talking. The younger guy – obviously upset by a conversation he’d been having with an artist friend of his – was complaining loudly about some success or other that the arrogant SOB had had. The older guy leaned back against the door, smiled, and began to tell a story.
Meet Bob.
Bob (hopefully not his real name) is a ventriloquist. He holds a puppet while pretending not to talk, and asks people to give him money.
Bob is a competent performer. He’ll come to your party, pretend not to talk while holding a puppet for 45 minutes, and go away. By the time he’s gotten back to the subway, your guests will probably have forgotten him. You’ll probably have to look up his name a week later when you go to write him a check.
In the words of the older guy…
“Now, this guy is kinda arrogant. Like, he does these parties. But he’s kinda straight. He doesn’t get the people involved, you know? He showed me some stuff he did on YouTube – parties from like 10 years ago. And it’s not bad. I mean… it’s not embarrassing or anything, but… he thinks he’s much better than he is, you know?”
Bob is unremarkable. He’s focused on making a buck instead of engaging and providing value to his audiences. He’s arrogant. He hasn’t taken the time to further refine his skills or grow his business.
Bob probably hasn’t sat down with himself at any time during the last 20 years to wonder whether he’s lost his passion or whether he has the ability needed to succeed.
Meet Terry.
Terry artist started out in the same time period, same city, same social and professional circle, and same line of work as Bob.
Terry worked his ass off.
Since age 10, Terry has been a ventriloquist. From early shows for friends and family, to church picnics, to country fairs in the Texas heat where he only had one spectator to television in front of Simon Cowell and a live audience, he’s taken every opportunity to perform. When he performs, he engages the audience. And he’s humble about his success.
“And now he’s a multimillionaire. He has a theatre named after him in Vegas. And you know what? He deserves it. Ventriloquism is pretty low on the list of stuff I like, but you know this guy? He does something really different. He sings, even. He’s good.”
The moral of the story…
…is that being humble, working your ass off, and being obsessive about providing value to your audience are the only things that differentiate you from everyone else out there who has passion and talent, or a reasonable facsimile thereof, and the same opportunities as you.
Terry could have eked out a living doing the occasional birthday parties for kids and evenings at the old folks home. Instead, he took every opportunity to hone his craft.
Terry could have given up when he was going through the Dip. He could have quit on the night when he played a 1,000 seat theatre and had only one spectator. Instead, he kept seeking out more opportunities to perform.
Terry could have gotten a respectable job and kept the ventriloquism as a hobby for the weekends. But he didn’t.
Go see for yourself.
Terry’s full name is Terry Fator, as I found out by searching YouTube. He does indeed have a show in Vegas and a theatre named after him. He’s a television star and a multimillionaire. And – while ventriloquism is pretty low on my list as well – the guy is good. (See for yourself, below.) Most admirably, he also does a lot of charity work.
The name of the other guy?
I’ll never know. Neither will you. And that’s the point.
